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We've switched to "shopping" at the box stores, then buying on-line. We've had to be very tight on our re-model and find that we're saving a minumum of 20% including shipping, by doing it this way.
INterestingly enough, we've found that some companies use multiple sites to offer the same products at different price points, especially in the lighting category. They'll offer it on one site for a higher price and free shipping, and another one of their sites for a lower price, and inflated shipping.
For "gotta have it now" basics (lumber, rough-in plumbing/PVC, electrical wiring, etc.) I tend to rely on Home Depot. We also found better deals on architectural shingles and cabinets at HD than Lowe's.
However, for a nicer selection of fixtures (electrical, plumbing), doors, and closet storage systems, I mosied across the street to Lowe's.
I bought our last big lot (700 sf or so) of laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators (way cheaper than HD or Lowe's.) Prior to that, I bought from Stouffer's outlet (in Cookeville, TN), and online from iFlooring.
Before you buy a single light, go to http://www.lampsplus.com . The site is easy to work with and navigate and the selection is awesome. Almost every light fixture in this house came from there. They were great. Returns were easy. I am about 1000 miles from their warehouse. I live in Southeast Alaska.
I especially like the features that will let me look at other lights from the same grouping. It is easy to sort, mix and match. If you live in the Pacific NW, talk to Orenda in Seattle.
I had my first, (&last), experience at Lowes last week. This store was in Owatana, MN.
Here in Mankato we have Home Depot & Menards. (I hear they are going national now.) Menards far out does the Home Depot. Lowes was so bad, I wouldn't even compare it to these two.
Now if you a building a complete new house, give your local lumber yard a chance. They can probably do better on price than the boxes for the whole job. They will deliver the lumber & supplies. If something is wrong they will replace it or take it back at their expence & time. You pay them at the end of the job instead of forking over the cash everytime you go to the store. They also have great people to help you plan things & give you advice. Box store employees, ? Thursday I was pricing some things at Menards. I asked a guy about a garden window. He had no idea of what i was talking about.
Enough rambling,
Bernie
Each BB sore seems to have it's own personality.
Here Lowe's does a very nice job w/ Plants and Lumber.
HD not so good.
But Plumbing, Masonary, Electric I prefer HD.
Unfortuneately lumber yards are few and far between here now.
Our closest one probably 30 minutes away and as it's a cabinetmakers source, WAY over-priced.
On a different note I just read a book by John Sandford.
It takes place in Mankato.
I thought that was a fictional place. lol
It's summer training camp for Minn Vikings football team.
It has a large college that is getting better all the time.
Mankato River Hills Mall is very large & draws from hundreds of miles.
A new sport store is due to open there shortly. It's called Scheel's All Sports. It's something like Cabelas or the other large sport stores. It is an anchor store along with JC Penny, Sears, Herbergers, & Target.
Mankato is home to Taylor Corp. A giant in the printing business. Owner also owns the Minnesota Timberwolves.
All this & total population of Mankato-North Mankato is only 44,000.
Bernie
I also had good luck buying a front door and storm door from my local lumberyard, Johnson's, in Millersville MD. The service was excellent and price and quality very good. I got a storm door from HD before and its been good, but was a hassle with the ordering and measuring .
I just visited the lamp website and will be buying there- great selection. Thanks for the tip.
We've lived many places and always preferred Lowe's...their employees are a tad more available than at HD...they have nice call buttons in every dept and if you push it for help it announces on the PA, "Help is needed in the ________ department" (only seen 1 HD in about 50 I've been in have that). I do repair work at HD's sometimes and they continue to not impress. But it's allowed me to compare prices on dozens of products and Lowe's is usually cheaper...I've found this to be true on plants (same plant/same company who grew it), fixtures, electrical supplies, tools, etc. Not always cheaper, but generally.
I've always liked the selection of lighting at Lowe's over HD...seem to carry more, at least in my area.
I found online shopping for household improvement items online to be a good choice. When I wanted paneled vinyl shutters for my house both HD and Lowe's had signs that said they were a special order and could take up to 8 weeks to get in?!?!?! WOW! I went online and for 1/3rd the PRICE the "special order" was at the box store I got my shutters in 7 days, FREE SHIPPING, to my door. It was awesome. The company was http://www.architecturaldepot.com
Oh yeah, forgot to mention. Being in a new house we had to paint every room with color just about...found that HD often didn't have anyone manning the paint counter and when I did speak with them they wouldn't color match the name brand paint chips in the cheaper paint for me...and wouldn't tint a 5 gallon bucket of WHITE paint to a shade of gray though I wasn't particular about the shade of gray as it was just for the garage.
I went to Lowe's and they'll color match ANYTHING from the name brand paint chips to a wood railing off my baby's crib! They have lower prices on their paint there as well.
We usually buy from Home Depot and local lumber yards. Occasionally we will go to Lowes if there is a sale going on but they seem to specialize more in selling the decorative stuff. Lowes is also higher in prices than HD is.
Most of the building/repair/remodeling supplies come from a local Lumber Yard. I've shopped with them for over 30 years and being a small family owned business they strive to be very helpful. For greater variety Lowe's is the second choice. I tried HD on 4 occasions and was met with conflicting directions and terrible service. Buying 25 of the cement "garden blocks" on the first trip I was directed out to a fenced enclosure and found two young 'sales persons' under a tent waiting out the rain, making no attempt to help me load the 27# blocks. A second trip for plumbing fittings ended with the salesman saying "there they are, your eyes are probably better than mine", and walked off. HD is not a good place. The Cenex Co-op is another good place, though leaning more to farming and rural needs. I don't do much on line purchasing due to shipping costs and not being able to see who I'm buying from. Silly perhaps, but thats what 'creeping senility' does to one.
